Introduction

Gujarat offers holistic medicinal services and cost effective treatment through various District hospitals, Sub district hospitals and Private Speciality Hospitals. Most sought after super – specialities in the state include cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, infertility treatment, joint replacement and eye surgeries.

Gujarat offers holistic medicinal services and cost effective treatment through various District hospitals, Sub district hospitals and Private Speciality Hospitals. Most sought after super – specialities in the state include cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, infertility treatment, joint replacement and eye surgeries.

Key health statistics

Gujarat has come a long way in terms of economic development. The economy of Gujarat has been growing at an average rate of 10% for the past few years. No state however can truly be progressive without significant progress being achieved in the social sectors as well.

Health forms an integral and very important part of the social sectors. The health of a society often defines the society’s development potential. Gujarat has achieved significant progress in terms of providing primary healthcare to its citizens. The progress can be measured merely by looking at the numbers outlined below.

Sr. No.

Particulars

1971

1991

2001

Current

1

Crude Birth Rate (CBR)
(Per 1000 population)

40

27.5

24.9

23.5
(SRS 2006)

2

Crude Death Rate (CDR)
(Per 1000 population)

16.4

8.5

7.8

7.3
(SRS 2006)

3

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
(Per woman)

5.6

3.1

2.9

2.8
(SRS 2005)

4

Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)
(per 1 lakh live births)

-

389
(1992-93)

391
NFHS-II

172
(SRS 2001-03)

5

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)
(Per 1000 live births)

144

69

60

53
(SRS 2006)

6

Child (0-4) Mortality Rate
(Per 1000 children)

57.3

31.7

18.5

16
(SRS 2005)

7

Life Expectancy at birth

Male

N.A.

57

60.9

64.9

Female

N.A.

58.8
(1986-90)

62.7
(1991-96)

69
(2001-05)

Gujarat has improved its performance on the health front tremendously over the years. This has been made possible due to the extensive healthcare delivery network in the rural areas as well as various programs being run by the state health department.

Healthcare system in Gujarat

The state has about 7274 sub-centres, 1072 primary health centers (PHC), 253 community health centers (CHC) that serve the primary, secondary and tertiary needs of the rural populace. There are 106 Urban Family Welfare Centers. Some of them are run by NGO, trust, municipalities and municipal corporations. There are 28 urban health posts.

Healthcare infrastructure in Gujarat

he healthcare infrastructure in Gujarat is wide spread with 25 sub-district and 25 district hospitals. Besides these there are about 20 private speciality hospitals. The healthcare infrastructure is also made up of private clinics and hospitals run by doctors themselves. A majority of the population seeks treatment via these private practitioners.

There are about 2528 allopathic hospitals in Gujarat, of which on 503 are under the state health department, which indicates a extensively well developed private healthcare infrastructure within the state. These hospitals are largely run by practising doctors or a group of them or trust and charitable institutions.